Chapter 6 - Impact of flood vulnerability on livelihood, health, and homelessness: A case study of flood-affected blocks in lower Shilai watershed, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Flooding is one of the serious, common, and costly natural disasters that affect the communities around the world. Flood causes great loss to life and property leading to disturbance in human society. Flooding in the lower Shilai watershed region of West Bengal comprising Candrakona I, Ghatal (along with Ghatal municipality), and Daspur I block causes damage to houses, industries, public utilities, and property resulting in huge economic losses, apart from loss of lives. Thousands of inhabitant face challenges in maintaining their normal livelihood, with severe health hazard along with the problem of temporary homelessness every year as the flood is annual in nature. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the flood vulnerability along with the adoption of rehabilitation measures by locals. Though it is not possible to control the flood disaster totally, by adopting suitable measures the flood damages can be minimized. This paper portrays a clear picture about the present flood impact scenario emphasizing people's ill health and compelled homelessness in the lower Shilai watershed along with peoples' resilience strategies to withstand the chronic flood.